Hair cutting clipper attachment

ABSTRACT

An adjustable attachment for standard hair cutting clippers which includes a slotted bearing head that bears flat against the hair so that it can be effectively used by an amateur to cut and trim the hair in a proper manner.

United States Patent 1 51 Mar. 28, 1972 Groves 54] HAIR CUTTING CLIPPER [56] Relerences Clted ATTACHMENT UNITED STATES PATENTS Ohm 2,221,119 11/1940 Starr ..30/83 x l 73] Assignee: Donald L. Groves, Columbus, Ohio; 21 pan 2,734,266 2/1956 Schreyer ..30/83 X interest [22] Filed: June 8, 1970 Primary Examiner-Andrew R. .luhasz Assistant Examiner Gary L. Smith [211 1 P 44,141 Attorney-Mahoney, Miller& Stebens [52] U.S. Cl ..30/233 [57] ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl .;..B26b 19/38 An ad ustable attachment for standard ha1r cuttmg chppers [58] Field of Search ..30/30, 3l, 34, 34.2, 43, 83, which includes a slotted bearing head that bears flat against a the hair so that it can be effectively used by an amateur to cut and trim the hair in a proper manner.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures Patented March 28, 1972 I EN'TUR ERMY w. GROV E BY fiw v- MAHONEY, MILL R a STEBENS ATTORNEYS HAIR CUTTING CLIPPER ATTACHMENT This invention is an improvement over the device disclosed in my prior US. Pat. No. 2,867,902, issued Jan. 13, I959. The device of the patent functioned satisfactorily, but it was neces sary to provide a special clipper head to replace any of the standard heads. Obviously, this would be undesirable from an economic standpoint.

The present invention provides a device which has the advantages specified for the patent device, but which has the additional great advantage that it can be made as a separate inexpensive attachment for fitting various standard power driven hair clippers. Also, it has another great advantage over the patent device in that it can be adjusted readily to vary the cutting action.

The best mode contemplated in carrying out my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a power-operated hair clipper with my attachment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the attachment indicating how it is adjustably mounted on the hair clipper.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the attachment removed from the hair clipper.

FIG. 4 is an edge elevational view of the attachment on the hair clipper showing how it is used in cutting hair.

The present invention provides an attachment which will fit standard clippers and which can be easily mounted thereon or removed therefrom. Furthermore, the attachment is adjustably mounted on the hair clippers so that the cutting action can be varied. It provides a flat'bearing surface or face extending transversely of the clipper and being of substantial-extent in the direction it is moved over the hair. This fiat bearing surface or face is adapted to engage the surface of the hair to prevent undue penetration into the hair. The bearing surface or face is provided with a transverse slot through which the cutting teeth of the clippers project and the extent of projection through the slot determines the depth of cutting. This depth can be adjusted by the adjustable mounting of the head on the clippers.

The structure described above is illustrated in detail in the drawing in which a power driven clipper unit is indicated generally by the numeral 10. This clipper unit may be of any standard type and my attachment is indicated generally by the numeral 11 and will fit any standard type of hair clipper unit.

The'clipper unit 10, usually of the electric type, is shown as comprising the hand grip body 12 having the usual fixed cutting and combing member 13 mounted thereon in the usual manner with a movable cutting member 14 disposed under the member 13 and oscillatable relative thereto in the usual manner. Both members 13 and 14 are provided with the projecting cutting teeth 15 between which the hair extends during the clipping or cutting operation. Thus, the usual clipper unit includes the relatively movable cutting members 13 and 14 disposed at the end of the clipper body 12 in tilted relationship relative to the axis thereof. In ordinary use of the standard clipper it is turned 180 from the position shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 4 in clipping the hair H. In this position, the surface of the member 13 will bear against the hair H and the clipper member is pressed against the hair in the direction in which the teeth 15 project and against the hair in a direction opposite to that in which the hair extends, with a combing action.

In using the clipper unit with the attachment 11 according to my invention, it is positioned as indicated in FIG. 4 and is drawn downwardly along the hair in the direction of extent of the hair, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 4, engaging the hair to press or brush it down to a substantial extent.

Thus, the attachment is provided with the bearing shoe or face 16 formed on the outer edge of a mounting portion 17 which extends over the opposite side of the body. What may be termed the trailing edge of shoe 16 (upper edge in FIG. 4)

is a free edge whereas the other leading edge (lower edge) is a blunt edge formed by its angular joint with portion 17. This portion 17 is mainly flat and bears against the similar cooperating surface of the body and is connected thereto for ad ustment in and out axially of the body 12. Portion 17 is provided with ears 17a which extend over opposite edges of the body. The adjustable connection is by clamping screws 18 and cooperating longitudinal slots 19. The face 16 is angularly disposed relative to the portion 17 so that when the attachment is mounted on the body 12, the face 16 will be in a plane substantially at a right angle to the member 13. In this position, the teeth 15 will be associated with a transverse slot 20 extending most of the distance across the face 16.

In use, as indicated in FIG. 4, the clipper unit 10 will be pulled downwardly along the hair H, with the face 16 engaging and sliding on the hair and with its blunt leading edge engaging the hair and brushing it down. The portion 17 is adjusted on the clipper unit axially thereof so that the teeth 15 will just project through the slot 20 and engage the hair as it rises into the slot 20 and this will determine the depth of cut. The relatively large flat bearing surface provided by the face 16 and its blunt leading edge will prevent digging into the hair and the extent which the teeth project through the slot will determine the depth of cut and this can be varied readily. The bearing surface will slide along the hair as it is moved in the direction of extent of the hair by means of the hand grip body 12 and the amount of pressure can be selected to remove varying amounts of hair.

It will be apparent that this invention provides a separate inexpensive attachment which can be applied to various standard clipper units so that the unit can be effectively used by an amateur to cut and trim the hair in a proper manner. The attachment can be easily applied to or removed from the clipper unit and can be easily adjusted when mounted thereon to vary the depth of cut. The unit with the attachment will be used more with a brushing action on the hair rather than the usual combing action which will thereby prevent gouging into the hair.

Although the invention is described as an attachment it could be made as a part of the clipper unit itself.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination, a hair clipper unit of the type comprising a body portion carrying relatively movable substantially flat cutting members disposed in substantially superimposed relationship with cooperating cutting teeth projecting therefrom at one edge thereof in overlapping contiguous relationship, said members comprising a fixed upper member and a movable lower member, a guard-mounting bracket for engaging the body and a guard and bearing shoe carried by the bracket having a substantially fiat bearing face for contacting the hair surface, said bearing face extending transversely of the overlapping projecting cutting teeth and upstanding relative thereto in a plane extending at an angle to the plane of the contiguous teeth, said shoe having a slot extending transversely of the cutting members and into which the outer extremities of the cutting teeth extend, said shoe having a free upper edge and being joined to the mounting member at a lower relatively blunt corner so that when the shoe is in flat engagement with the hair and is moved downwardly along the hair as it is pressed thereagainst, strands thereof will extend upwardly through the superimposed cooperating cutting teeth to clip those strands, the flat face and the blunt corner preventing digging of the bearing face into the hair.

2. The combination according to claim 1 in which the mounting bracket is adjustably mounted on the body portion to vary the extent which said cutting teeth project into the slot.

3. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the mounting bracket embraces the body portion and is adjustably mounted thereon by a screw and slot connection for adjustment axially of the body. 

1. In combination, a hair clipper unit of the type comprising a body portion carrying relatively movable substantially flat cutting members disposed in substantially superimposed relationship with cooperating cutting teeth projecting therefrom at one edge thereof in overlapping contiguous relationship, said members comprising a fixed upper member and a movable lower member, a guard-mounting bracket for engaging the body and a guard and bearing shoe carried by the bracket having a substantially flat bearing face for contacting the hair surface, said bearing face extending transversely of the overlapping projecting cutting teeth and upstanding relative thereto in a plane extending at an angle to the plane of the contiguous teeth, said shoe having a slot extending transversely of the cutting members and into which the outer extremities of the cutting teeth extend, said shoe having a free upper edge and being joined To the mounting member at a lower relatively blunt corner so that when the shoe is in flat engagement with the hair and is moved downwardly along the hair as it is pressed thereagainst, strands thereof will extend upwardly through the superimposed cooperating cutting teeth to clip those strands, the flat face and the blunt corner preventing digging of the bearing face into the hair.
 2. The combination according to claim 1 in which the mounting bracket is adjustably mounted on the body portion to vary the extent which said cutting teeth project into the slot.
 3. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the mounting bracket embraces the body portion and is adjustably mounted thereon by a screw and slot connection for adjustment axially of the body. 